Pride
by crazybeef
Summary: Giles pov. Reflects on how a certain friend of his has grown. Post-"Grave" Just a short goofy little story.


Okay, just another post-"Grave" Xander-fic. I just love that character so much. Why are they so mean to him? These characters don't belong to me. If they did, I would be much more famous and have much more money. I just use them for my own sick pleasure.  
  
Rupert Giles glanced in the room at his friend, and a small smile played at his lips. The young man was staring in complete silence at the red-headed woman on the bed. It almost brought tears to his eyes, the sweetness and gentleness he saw in him. Giles had known this group of young people for many years. He had seen them grow and change and he loved them all greatly, but the one he felt most pride for was Xander. Maybe it was just because Xander happened to be the one who hadn't tried to kill someone or destroy the world. But Giles figured it was probably because Xander was the one they expected least from, and the one that always gave more.  
  
Willow started to shift, and fresh tears broke free and flowed down the path of older, dried tears down her face. Giles saw Xander wince slightly as he moved to help her. Giles wasn't quite sure if it was because of the physical pain from the wounds Willow had inflicted on him, or because his best friend in pain actually hurt him. The fathering instinct he had picked up over the last few years kicked in.   
  
"Xander?" he said gently and quietly walked in the room.  
  
Xander was slightly startled by Giles' presence. "Oh, hey Giles," he said and gently took Willow's hand, barely noticing as the man moved closer and placed a hand on his shoulder. "She's sleeping now. I think she needs to get some rest."  
  
"Yes. G-good thought," Giles said absently. He glanced down at the state of his young friend. Xander was still wearing the same shirt from the day before, torn and bloody. Giles quickly realized that in all the hoopla of Willow and zombies and a quickly comdemning Magic shop, they had completely neglected to take care of Xander, the one they owed their lives to. This thought panicked Giles and saddened him, till he realized that Xander probably hadn't even noticed.  
  
"Uh, Xander?"  
  
"Huh?" he said absently, never taking his eyes off Willow.  
  
"I think you need to get cleaned up."  
  
"Nah, I'm good," he said, and Giles had to wonder if he even knew what he said. He heard movement behind him and glanced up to see Dawn cautiously entering the room. He motioned for her to come closer. "Watch over Willow for me." Dawn nodded.  
  
Giles gently grabbed Xander's arm and forced him to stand. Xander looked at him confused. "We need to clean up those wounds and find you a clean shirt. Willow will be fine without you for a while," he said when Xander started to protest. They quietly walked downstairs into Buffy's livingroom. Xander sat down on the couch while Giles looked for the first-aid kit and pulled a shirt out of his bag that was slightly too big for him to accomodate Xander's muscular body. Giles glanced at the boy on the couch, and with a start realized that he was no longer. He was a grown man. And he was proud to realized that he was indeed acting like a grown man. And the sad look in his eyes told Giles that he felt like a grown man.  
  
He took his supplies over to Xander and sat on the coffee table facing him. "This should work," he said entirely to cheerfully. But nonetheless, Xander smiled, and Giles felt worlds better seeing him smile again. Xander gingerly removed his shirt and Giles handed him the ointment. As Xander started attending to his own wounds, Giles thought about what had happened that day. "Xander?"   
  
"Hmm?" Xander replied as he tried desperately to open the child-proof tube. Giles sighed, took it and opened it for him. Xander blushed a little at his own inadequacy.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"  
  
"I don't know. You just seem...melancholy."  
  
Xander's eyebrows scrunched, then he relaxed. "Giles, I've kinda had a long night, and that word has somehow disappeared from my vocabulary."  
  
Giles smiled. "You seem a bit sad."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes," he said harsher than intended. "I'm sorry. But my best friend in the whole world, the girl that organized a G.I. Joe funeral when I killed her Barbie, just tried to destroy the world. But I'm fine."  
  
"I'm sorry. That was a rather unnecessary question. But I just wanted to make sure that you're okay and that nobody's... neglecting you."  
  
Xander looked up and then averted his eyes. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Xander, I may have been gone, but certain things aren't hard to pick up on. Like the fact that so much has gone on that everyone is focusing so deeply on their own unhappiness. And that you're not."  
  
Xander shrugged. "It didn't seem to matter much."   
  
Giles watched as Xander pulled on his shirt and winced at the pain. "It matters a lot Xander."  
  
Xander got up and went into the kitchen. "Xander, I'm so sorry nobody's bothered to-"  
  
"I'm okay Giles. Honest. I'm just really worried about Willow right now."  
  
"Yes. So am I."  
  
Xander moved to the refridgerator and opened the door. "I just can't figure out how things got so bad with her to begin with. And how I didn't see it coming. I always thought I'd know when something was wrong with her, but..." Xander slammed the door shut violently, startling Giles. He put his head in his hands and froze. Giles' British-ness came out, making him uncomfortable. Giles stood there for a moment, when he saw Xander's shoulders shudder and he raised his head. Giles was shocked when he didn't see tears in his eyes, just sadness that refused to leak out. "Well, maybe I should go check on Willow." Xander headed out of the kitchen. Giles thought back to when he first met Xander, a sarcastic, happy boy who seemed oblivious to the painful, dangerous world around him that he in some way dealt with every day.   
Giles now felt enlightened, realizing that there was more to the boy that he and everyone thought, and that the boy was now a mature and sensitive man. A man who had just saved all of their lives and hadn't mentioned it or even thought about it.   
  
"Xander?"  
  
Xander turned around. "Yeah?"  
  
"I'm very proud of you."  
  
Xander's eyes widened slightly and Giles realized that those were words that he probably wasn't used to hearing directed at him. Giles suddenly felt very sad at this realization and made a mental note to tell Buffy to talk to her friend more often.  
  
"Thanks," Xander said, still in shock from what he just heard. He then turned around and headed into his best friend's room to watch over her.  
  
***********  
I was just watching "Graduation Day." Does anyone else just love that part where Willow and Oz are looking up spells to stop the ascension and Willow goes "If we want to make ferns invisible or communicate with shrimp I've got the goods right here." and Oz says in his very special Oz way "Our lives are...different from other people's." I love that part! Sorry about my extreme geekiness there, although if you just read my story you're probably just as geeky. But I guess I shouldn't insult my readers. That would be bad. Okay I'm going to stop babbling and you're going to stop reading my stupid babble and move on to more interesting things to read. 


End file.
